A new era of bespoke craftsmanship
INTERVIEW/ Mark Smyth spoke to head of Rolls-Royce design, Giles Taylor at the unveiling of the unique Sweptail
Sir Henry Royce once said: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.”
It has been a philosophy at Rolls-Royce since the early days but what if an existing Rolls is not perfect enough for you?
It has been decades since the company built a purely bespoke, coachbuilt vehicle — in fact, not since the 1940s. There have been a few over the years but they have all been done by external firms, not Rolls itself.
When the company unveiled its 103EX Vision Next concept in 2016, it promised a future where there are more bespoke models, but one customer could not wait for the future and four years ago engaged the company to produce a one-off model, just for him to add to his collection of cars, super-yachts, aircraft and homes.
The result is the Sweptail you see here, designed in-house by Giles Taylor and his design team at Rolls, with the guidance of that super wealthy customer.
The model pays homage to the swept-tail designs that characterised luxury tourers of the 1920s, which were often inspired by classic yachts. We spoke to Rolls’ head of design, Giles Taylor, and he says that while the regular models keep him busy from nine to five, coachbuilding designs are more of a “hobby project that allow for glorious challenges and details”.
SPIRIT
He says that he was obviously constrained by the wishes of the customer but, at the same time, the customer was constrained by the fact that any one-off must be “in the spirit of Rolls-Royce”.
In this instance all the design was by Taylor and his team, but the customer provided input in terms of his ideas. Interestingly, one of the inspirations was the fact that the customer loved the original Bentley Continental design and wanted to see elements in his bespoke Roller.
The roof is dominated by that massive piece of panoramic glass, but the vast panel either side of it is a one piece item that had to be beaten out by hand and took two years. Just imagine waiting that long if it gets a dent.
The interior is also all about the customer’s preferences. In spite of the vehicle’s size, this is strictly a two-seater, with the rear seats being replaced by a shelf with a glass lip which extends up into a hat shelf. Other items include panniers built into the side panels that contain handmade attache cases made of carbon fibre that can be deployed when required.
Among all the exclusive finishes is one other touch, a compartment in the centre console which has been designed to deploy a bottle of the owner’s favourite champagne along with two flutes when required. Of course, as a car to drive rather than be driven in, this does seem a little odd.
And the price? Not surprisingly no one wanted to officially divulge the final figure, but unofficially it is about €10m, or an eye-watering R157m.
That lofty figure aside, the company is busy with some more of those nine to five models. Taylor says that the new Phantom will make its debut in London in July and will feature a move towards slightly more emotional designs. He says it will be a new chapter and include values that will make owners want to drive rather than just be driven.
However he says he is most excited about the company’s new super-luxury SUV, the Cullinan. He promises that it will have lots of grace and elegance, together with a deep perceived level of capability. “There is a lot of precedence for our vehicles going into off-road terrain,” he says, referring to the days when Rollers competed in famous Alpine trials, or travelled across India or north Africa.
YOUNGER MARKET
The Cullinan will arrive on the market early in 2018 but behind the scenes there are other changes taking place. Taylor says the company is looking at a younger market, spurred by the fact that in a major market such as China, the average age of the buyer is under 30.
“There are younger people seeing a wonderful V12 and wanting emotional and dynamic vehicles,” he says, even hinting people might want to trade in their Bugatti Veyron for a Rolls. Exactly what Taylor and his team have in mind that someone would want to trade in their Veyron for it, remains to be seen, but it is definitely going to be an interesting development in the company’s illustrious history.